Electricity-meter.



H. ARON.

ELECTRICITY METER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 13, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WITNESSES. lA/VENTOR MIA-M M Z 25 ATTORNEY PATENTED FEB. 2'7, 1906.

No. 813,685. PATENTED FEB. 27, 1906.

H. ARON..

ELECTRICITY METER. APPLIOATION FILED JAN.13, 1904.

2 SHBBTS-SHEET 2.

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HERMANN ARON, OF OHARLOTTENBURG, GERMANY.

ELECTRICITY-M ETER- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 27, 1906.

Application filed January 13, 1904. Serial No. 188,849.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERMANN ARON, a citizen of the Empire of Germany,residing at 39 Wilmersdorferstrasse, Charlottenburg, in the Kingdom ofPrussia and Empire of Germany, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Electricity-Meters, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates particularly to differential clockwork electricmeters of the type commercially known as the Aron electricitymeter,comprising a frame or casing for supporting the various parts of themechanism and their electrical connections, automatically-actuatedelectrical winding mechanism for periodically winding up thespring-actuated clockwork mechanism comprising the two independenttrains of transmission-gearing, each having an escapement controlled inits operation by a pendulum and connected with common recording devicesand periodically-acting current and gearing reversing devices forinsuring a continuous recording action of the instrument, whilecompensating for slight mechanical variations in the differentialtransmission-trains by subjecting them to the effects of the electriccurrents passed through the coils in opposite directions, the twopendula carrying small shunt-coils of opposite polarity swinging to andfro adjacent the main coils in the load-circuit, by the influence ofwhich they are respectively retarded and accelerated with correspondingeffect upon the transmission-trains controlled by the pendula.Notwithstanding the periodical reversal of the electrical conditionsgoverning the vibrations of the pendula, as described, in order tocompensate while the in strument is in effective operation for slightmechanical defects in the mechanism, it has been found in practice thatthe removal of electrical influence from the pendula by arrest of theflow of current through the main coils has permitted the pendula tovibrate under the sole influence of gravity and of the actuating-springof the clockwork with unequal frequency, whereby the recording mechanismwas still permitted to operate either forwardly or backwardlyproportionately to such vibrations in frequency, thereby rendering thereadings of the instrument inaccurate, especially when the connectedload-circuit was idle for any considerable time.

The object of the present invention is to counteract any tendency of anelectrical instrument of this nature to record under mere mechanicalconditions uninfluenced by passage of current in the main or loadcircuit; and to this end the invention consists, essentially, in thecombination, with recording mechanism comprising a regulator controlledelectromagnetically in its action by current passing through theload-circuit, of means for automatically assuming control of therecording mechanism when the flow of current through the load-circuitceases. While the control of the meter during the interruption of theflow of useful current through the same may evidently be performedsolely by mechanical means, I prefer to effect this control in partelectromagnetically, as by the employment of an auxiliary shunt magnetcoil adjacent one of the main magnet-coils and of reverse polarity, ofsuch limited power that its influence upon its respective pendulummagnet-coil is readily overcome by that of the main magnet during thepassage of useful current through the instrument; but while the latteris interrupted the continued magnetic influence of such auxiliary coilis such as to induce a reverse operation of the recording mechanism,which is opposed by a ratchet device with which I provide such recordingmechanism, which under such condition becomes positively locked fromretrograde movement and electrically prevented from forward movement,and is therefore held stationary until flow of current in the main orload circuit is resumed.

The invention will be understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure l is a front view of an electric meterembodying my present improvement with the front of the casing and thedialplate removed to expose the parts immediately behind the same. Fig.2 is a front view, and Fig. 3 an edge view, of the clockwork portion ofthe instrument, illustrating the differential transmission-gearing withits escapement devices. F 4 is a diagram showing the motor and connectedmain and shunt circuits through an instrument constructed as representedin the proceeding figures.

As indicated in Fig. 1, the base-plate l of the instrument is providedwith a supporting-bracket 2, carrying the frame 3 of the clockwork, andwith the fixed spools for the main-circuit magnet-eoils 4 and with thevarious coimection-blocks 5 5 5 5, &c.

The clockwork mechanism comprises the spring-actuated rotary spindle 6,which is in ICC IIO

- the pendulum-rod 20.

practice driven by the electrically-actuated winding mechanismcomprising the electromagnet 6 (shown in Fig. 1,) forming the subject ofmy United States Patent No. 700,597, dated May 20, 1902, the springbeing kept or ntinuc usly under tension through a connecti n (.f itswinding mechanism with a shunt circuit from the line conduct: r. Thisspindle carries two loose sleeves 7, the one being previded with aspur-wheel 8 and bevel-wheel 9 and the 4 ther with aspur-wheel 10 andbevel-wheel 11 and the spindle being provided intermediate thebevel-wheels 9 and 11 with a fixed radial arm 12, carrying the bevelplanet-wheel 13, loosely miunted therecn and meshing with thebevel-wheels 9 and 11. Each cf the cog-wheels 8 and 10 meshes with apinion 14, mounted upon a spindle 15, carrying the escapement wheel 16,controlled in its rotation by the teeth 17 of the fcrkedescapement-lever 18, mcunted upon the rock-shaft 19, from which dependsThe pendulum-rods carry at their lower ends the shunt magnetcoils 21 and22, respectively.

The spindles are connected by means of the cog-wheels 23 with thecog-wheels 24, carried by a loose sleeves 25, mounted upon the spindle26, the one directly and the other through an intermediate gear 27, andeach of the sleeves 25 carries a bevel-gear 28, meshing with a bevelplanet-gear 29, mounted upon a fixed radial arm 30, with which thespindle 26 is provided, whereby motions from the spindles 15 aretransmitted to the bevelgears 28 in opposite directions, and when suchmotions are equal they will result in the mere rotation of theplanet-wheel 29 without communicating thereto bodily circular motion,while any difference of such communicated motion to the gears 24 and 28will cause simultaneous rotating and revolving movements of theplanet-gear 29 upon the fixed arm 30, with a resultant rotation of thespindle 26. The outer end portion of the spindle 26 carries a cog-wheel31, which is connected through the intermediate cog-wheels 32 with thecog-wheel 33 upon the spindle 34 with a primary indicating-hand 35acting in conjunction with one of the usual dials to afford the readingsof the lowest denomination. The primary spindle 34 is connected in theusual manner by means of a train of intermeshing-gears 36 and 37 withthe series of pointer-spindles 38, 39, 40, 41, and 42, each provided, asindicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, with a suitable hand or pointer 35for operation in conjunction with its respective dial upon the outerface of the dial-plate 43.

As indicated in Fig. 1, the spindle 38 carries a fixed ratchet-wheel 44,of which the peripheral teeth are continuously engaged by a pawl 45,(shownin dotted lines in Fig. 1,) pivoted bymeans of a screw 46 upon theforward face of the intermediate frame-plate 3 behind the cog-wheels 36and 37 of the said spindle. The teeth of this ratchet-wheel andcooprating pawl are so disposed that the spindle 38 is permitted to turnfreely in the forward direction, but is prevented from retrogrademovement so as to insure against the negative movement and registrationof the train of recording mechanism. 8

The spool if the main magnet-coil 4 at the left in Fig. 1 is shownprovided with an auxiliary shunt ma net ccil 47, disposed in axialarrangement therewith adjacent to the path of scillatinn of theshunt-coils 21 of the pendula 20.

In practice the primary magnet-coils 4 are similarly wcund, so as toproduce like polarity in the same, and the auxiliary shunt magnet-c il47 is so wound as to produce a reverse prlarity frc m that of theadjacent main magnet-c; il, while the pendulum shunt magnet-cc ils arereversely wound, so as to pro duce opposite polarity therein.

As so constructed the parts are connected with the main circuit, asfollows: The main circuit is from one of the terminals of the generatorD through the line-wire a to the connection-block 5, thence by theconnectingwires 1) through the main magnet-coils 4, arranged in seriesto the adjacent connectionblock 5, thence through the light-circuits,indicated herein as ccntaining electric lights L, and thence by thereturn-wire c to the other generator terminal. The shunt-circuitforms abranch of the main circuit a at the block 5, whence it is led by meansof the wire d to the connection-block 5, thence through the auxiliarycoil 47 and the resistance R to thecommutatorC, thence through thependulum magnet-coils 41 and 22 and back through the commutator andthrough the resistance R to the block 5 through which it is connectedwith the return-Wire c to complete the shuntcircuit.

In the use of the instrument, the generator D having been set inoperation, the winding mechanism for the spindle 6 is operated toprovide the necessary torsion for the spindle 6, which, through theescapement or regulating device formed by the toothed wheels 16 andforked levers 18, operate to set the pendula 20 in vibration with equalfrequency, each of the escapement devices being substantially acounterpart of the other. Connections being made between the positiveand negative conductors a and c of the motorcircuit through the mainmagnet-coils 4 and the circuits of the lamps L and being formedcontinuously through the shunt-circuit d, the operation of the magnetismdeveloped in the main coils 4 upon the shunt-coils 21 and 22 of thependula is to accelerate the vibrations of one and to retard thevibrations of the other, thereby creating differential action betweenthe escapement devices and inducing a result ant rotation of the spindle26, which is communicated to the train of indicating-gearing in apositive or forward direction. So long as the load remains in the maincircuit this action continues, the magnetic influence of the lefthandmagnet-coils 4 overcoming the negative influence of the auxiliaryshunt-coil 47. As soon, however, as the load is removed from the maincircuit, and the latter thus becomes open, the shuntcircuit becomes theonly one to influence the recording mechanism of the instrument, andthis in a backward direction, due to the reverse Wind ing of theauxiliary shunt-coil 47 in respect of the adjacent main coil 4, thusinitiating a backward-recording motion to the train ofindicating-gearing. This action is checked almost immediately by thepositive engagement of the pawl 45 with atooth of the ratchet-wheel 44,the mechanism becoming locked and so remaining until the main circuit his again closed by the application of a load,

such as the lamps indicated in Fig. 4. It is evident that the locking ofa member of this mechanism from rotation under the impulse of thespring-actuated shaft 6 serves to re move the influence of the latterupon the pendula tending to maintain them in operation, whereby theoperation of the entire mechanism of the meter becomes arrested and soremains until flow of current in the main circuit is renewed and theinfluence of the magnet-coil 47 thus overcome to permit the normaloperation of the meter.

While the instrument above described as actually placed upon the marketis provided with a commutator, as C, and with means connected therewithfor reversing the train of indicating-gearing simultaneously with thereversal of current in the shunt-circuit (i, such devices are notspecifically shown and described herein, as they form no part of thepresent improvement, the armature of the commutator being properlyallowed to remain stationary, and thereby afl'ord fixed connections forthe shunt-circuit for the purposes of the present invention.

Although the resistances R and R are shown for convenience in Fig. 4 asseparated by nearly the width of the instrument, in practice they arecontained by a single spool, (designated in Fig. 1 by R R.)

From the foregoing description it will be observed that the presentimprovement is not limited to the details of construction andarrangement herein specifically set forth and that it may be embodied inapparatus differing materially in constructive features and arrangementof parts.

While I prefer to employ an auxiliary shunt-coil as the permanently orcontinuously energized device for acting upon the shuntco.ils carried bythe pendula in opposition to the primary magnet-coils, it will beevident that the present invention is not movement of said recordingmechanism, and

means independent thereof for detaining the same against such retrogrademovement.

2. In an electric meter, the combination with the recording mechanismcomprising a regulator electromagnetically controlled in its action bycurrent passing through the main circuit, of continuously-energizedmeans for automatically assuming control of the recording mechanism whenthe flow of current through the main circuit is interrupted.

3. In an electric meter, the combination with recording mechanismcomprising an electromagneticallycontrolled regulator, a mainmagnet-coil connected with the main circuit from the source ofcurrent-supply and acting upon said regulator, and an auxiliarymagnet-coil also acting upon said regulator and connected with ashunt-circuit from the source of current-supply.

4. In an electric meter, the combination with the recording mechanism,comprising an electromagnetically-controlled regulator, a mainmagnet-coil connected with the main circuit from the source ofcurrent-supply and acting upon said regulator to control the recordingaction of said mechanism, an auxiliary magnet-coil acting upon saidregulator in opposition to said main magnet-coil, and means for lockingsaid mechanism against retrograde motion under the action of theauxiliary magnet-coil when the How of current is interrupted through themain magnet-coil.

5. In an electric meter, the combination with the recording mechanism,comprising with the recording mechanism, comprising a train of gearingand an electromagneticallycontrolled regulator therefor, a mainmagnetcoil connected with the main circuit from the source ofcurrentsupply and acting upon said regulator to control the recordingaction of said mechanism, means for mechanically preventing theretrograde movement of said recording mechanism, and means forelectrically preventing the forward movement of said recording mechanismwhen the flow of current in the main circuitis interrupted.

7. In an electric meter, the combination with the recording mechanism,comprising two differential trains of transmissiomgearing and a commontrain of indicating-gearing connected therewith, regulators orescapements for each said train of differential gearing, a pair of mainmagnet-coils of like polarity each disposed adjacent to one of the saidregulators and connected withv the main circuit from the source ofcurrent-supply, magnet-coils of opposite polarity carried by saidregulators, and each connected with a shunt-circuit from said source ofcurrentsupply, means applied to said train of indicating mechanism formechanically locking the same from retrograde movement, and an auxiliarymagnet-coil of opposite polarity disposed in juxtaposition to one ofsaid main magnet coils and also connected with the said shunt-circuitfrom the source of currentsupply.

8. In an electric meter, the combination with a fixed main magnet-coilin the main circuit from the source of current-supply, a primary shuntmagnet-coil in a shunt-circuit, a movable member carrying said shuntmagnetcoi1 which is magnetically actuated under the influence of saidmain magnet-coil, and a train of clockwork recording mechanism connectedwith said movable member, of a fixed auxiliary shunt magnet-coil of lessstrength than said main coil and of opposite polarity in respect of thesame, and a stop device applied to the recording mechanism for opposingits operation under the action of the auxihary shunt magnet-coil whenthe flow of current in the main coil is interrupted.

9. In an electric meter, the combination with a fixed main magnet-coilin the main circuit from the source of current-supply, a primary shuntmagnet-coil in a shunt-circuit, a movable member carrying said shuntmagnet-coil which is magnetically actuated under the influence of saidmain magnet-coil, and a train of clockwork recording mechanism connectedwith said movable member, of a fixed auxiliary shunt-coil of lessstrength than said main coil and of opposite polarity, and a ratchet andpawl applied to a member of the train of recording mechanism and sodisposed as to permit its operation under the influence of the main coilbut to resist its reverse movement under the sole action of theauxiliary shunt magnet-coil.

10. In an electric meter, the combination with two main coils in themain circuit from the source of current-supply and two primary shuntmagnet-coils, two pendula each carrying one of said shunt magnet coils,which are each magnetically actuated under the influence of itsrespective main magnetcoil, and recording mechanism comprising twodifferentially-acting trains of mechanism each connected with andcontrolled by one of said pendula, of an auxiliary shunt magnet-coiladjacent one of said main magnetcoils and of opposite polarity, and astop device applied to said recording mechanism for opposing itsoperation under the sole action of the auxiliary shunt-coil when themain coil is inactive.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twowitnesses.

HERMANN ARON.

Witnesses I HENRY HASPER, WOLDEMAR HAUPT.

